Cleansing Waters
by Caskettology
Summary: My Watershed fic, My take on the proposal scene, and how I imagine the start of Season 6 to go.


**A/N: For those waiting for the next chapter in _A Chance at Real, _it should be up and about within the next week. I just wanted to do the semi-obligatory watershed fic. So sit back and enjoy, and please leave a review for me after you have read it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Castle**

* * *

This was her home. This was her life. She was happy here, so why would she risk it all by moving away? She had friends here, she had a boyfriend, she had a family. She had gotten to a place in her mind where she was ready to settle down, expand her life, not just in professional terms as she had done her whole adult life, but also personal, social and emotional terms.

Kate knew she had to talk to Castle. She knew that she may have screwed up her relationship with him, but it didn't matter. He had spent over three years proving himself to her, she would gladly do the same for him. And even if they were on the same page, she needed to know more about his other relationships, so that she knew what went wrong. If they evolved into a more serious state in their relationship, it was necessary.

She sees Esposito and Ryan as she is on her way out of the precinct. "He's prepared to give a statement implicating his brother in both murders, as well as the accident. Would you guys mind, take it in?" she said, hoping that it would send them away so she could finally have a talk with Castle.

She walked around them when Esposito interrupted her, "You okay?"

"Yeah." she answered, a tiny smile on her face.

"What's up?" he asked.

Before she figured what to say, Ryan added "Yeah, what's going on?"

"Look, there's something I have to tell you guys, but there is someone else I have to tell first." She still had a little smile when she turned and went to the elevator, taking up her phone and calling Castle, hoping he was ready for their talk.

"Castle." She felt her heart rise.

"It's me," She said, "we need to talk." The anticipation grew in her stomach.

"Yeah, we do." Castle answered. His neutral tone making her nervous, but when they decided to meet at the swings, hope settled in her.

* * *

As she approached him at the swings, she felt dread growing inside her. He looked like a combination of sad, determined and stoic, which she didn't take as a good sign.

She sat down on the swing, waited a while but he said nothing. "I'm sorry," she said. Paused. "I shouldn't have kept secrets." she was really hoping and apology would make a good start.

"It's who you are." he said, "You don't let people in." a little pause, "I've had to scratch and claw for every inch."

Her heart fell. This was not looking good. "Castle..." she said.

"Please let me finish." he interrupted. "I've made a lot of thinking about us, about our relationship. What we have, where we're headed." he said, after a pause. He began to shake his head, and most of her remaining hope fell to the gutter. "I've decided I want more, we both deserve more."

"I agree." She answered, as she was agreeing with him, but only insofar as it meant he wanted more out of their relationship, that they were stepping forward.

"So whatever happens, whatever you decide..." Shit. He was breaking up with her, as his face had never left it's solemn state during their conversation. His patience with her was at the end. He was breaking her heart, she knew he would do that now, as he hadn't made any indication that it wasn't going that way.

Tears began to well in her eyes.

"Katherine Houghton Beckett," He began as he stood up. Her breath caught. She didn't understand what was happening.

He knelt before her, "Will you marry me?" He finished as he pulled up a ring and held it towards her.

Her mind went blank.

Did he really...?

Her sight came into focus again and she saw him still kneeling with the engagement ring held towards her.

She stood up, walked so she stood in front of him without any swings in the way. "Castle, I have something to say and ask before I answer, is that okay?" she asked, her face lighting up, but her expression was still pretty stunned.

"Sure," he said, "It's a huge decision."

"Well," She began, "I got the job, but I'm declining." She held up a finger to make him hold his silence. "It's because this is my home, my life. The place where I can evolve, not just professionally, but socially and emotionally as well. That probably won't happen easy with a job that requires 100% focus in DC." She took a few breaths. "Then there are the relationship-baggage we have, that we haven't really spoken through. For me, it's simple. When things get serious, I tend to run. But I will try not to anymore. And please stop me if necessary." She smiled at him. "Then there is yours. You have two ex-wives, and I don't want to end up like that, so I need to know what happened." She gestured him to stand up, the gave him an encouraging smile to start talking.

"Meredith was basically a rebound fling after Kyra. But when she got pregnant I knew I would give the baby the family I never had, so I proposed. We never really connected emotionally, and it ended when Alexis was three years old, after I found Meredith in bed with her director and she filed for divorce." He made a pause. "With Gina, it was like a second chance for a family. But she was too controlling, while I was free-spirited and carefree. We just didn't match, we were too different." he finished.

As Kate digested the information, he added "And I began looking for a ring after my birthday, if you were wondering if this was a last minute decision."

There it was, all the information she needed. She read between the lines figuring she was both free-spirited enough to keep up with him, while controlling enough to ground him. She remembered his comment about Yin and Yang, that you should look for someone that fulfilled you, not someone that was a mirror image.

Her decision was already made. It was just ne thing that she could do.

"Yes, I will marry you."

Both smiled as he took her left hand and put the ring on her finger. Her heart beat harder than ever, and she went in for what would be possibly the next best kiss of her life, as her mind flooded with images of her in a white dress at an altar, with Rick at her side.

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**A/N: That's it, hope you're not disappointed in my take on the event. And remember, as of tomorrow (I write this at 11:47 pm in Norway, on a Sunday), it's just five weeks to the grand opening of the sixth season. Hold your breath and cross your fingers for Caskett happily ever after... Maybe even add a baby to mix things up a little ;)**


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